The present invention relates to a compressor including a compressing portion, which is provided in a housing and compresses refrigerant, an oil separation chamber, which receives refrigerant from the compressing portion and has a peripheral wall for causing the refrigerant to swirl to separate lubricant oil mixed in the refrigerant, and an oil reservoir chamber for storing the lubricant oil separated from the refrigerant. Specifically, the present invention relates to a compressor that is structured to supply lubricant oil in the oil reservoir chamber to the refrigerant suction-side structure of the compressing portion.
As an example of such a compressor, FIG. 5 shows a compressor 80 disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-171860. The compressor 80 includes a housing 81, a refrigerant discharge chamber 82 communicating with a compressing portion (not shown), a refrigerant outlet 83 communicating with the refrigerant discharge chamber 82, and an oil separation chamber 84. The compressor 80 accommodates in the housing 81 the oil separation chamber 84 formed in a refrigerant passage between the refrigerant discharge chamber 82 and the refrigerant outlet 83. The oil separation chamber 84 is defined by a cylindrical inner wall 85. A cylindrical separation pipe 86 is arranged in the oil separation chamber 84. The separation pipe 86 has an upper end connected to the refrigerant outlet 83 and a lower end that is open at a position separated from a bottom wall 84b of the oil separation chamber 84.
A pair of communication holes 87 is formed in an upper part of the oil separation chamber 84 that is closer to the refrigerant discharge chamber 82. An introducing hole 84a is formed at a center of the bottom wall 84b of the oil separation chamber 84. An oil reservoir chamber 88 is formed below the oil separation chamber 84. The oil reservoir chamber 88 is divided into a first oil reservoir chamber 90 and a second oil reservoir chamber 91 by a partition 89. The first and second oil reservoir chambers 90, 91 have at the lower portions cutouts 90a, 91a, respectively. The cutouts 90a, 91a are connected to each other by a communication passage 92. The first oil reservoir chamber 90 is connected to the oil separation chamber 84 by the introducing hole 84a. The second oil reservoir chamber 91 is connected to the refrigerant suction-side structure of the compressing portion.
After being delivered to the oil separation chamber 84 from the refrigerant discharge chamber 82 via the communication holes 87, refrigerant swirls along the inner wall 85 of the oil separation chamber 84. At that time, the refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant outlet 83 to the outside of the compressor 80 via the lower end of the separation pipe 86. On the other hand, lubricant oil in the refrigerant collects on the inner wall 85 to be separated from the refrigerant. The separated lubricant oil is introduced to the first oil reservoir chamber 90 via the introducing hole 84a of the oil separation chamber 84. After being introduced to the first oil reservoir chamber 90, the lubricant oil moves to the second oil reservoir chamber 91 via the cutouts 90a, 91a and the communication passage 92 and is then supplied to the refrigerant suction-side structure of the compressing portion.
Thus, in the compressor 80, even if the momentum of lubricant oil from the oil separation chamber 84 disturbs the surface of the oil in the first oil reservoir chamber 90, the oil surface in the second oil reservoir chamber 91 is not disturbed. This prevents refrigerant in gaseous state from being supplied to the refrigerant suction-side structure. Therefore, the compressor 80 is capable of steadily supplying lubricant oil to the refrigerant suction-side structure.
As described above, in the compressor 80 of FIG. 5, lubricant oil mixed in refrigerant is separated from the refrigerant by collecting on the inner wall 85 of the oil separation chamber 84. The separated lubricant oil flows from the inner wall 85 and along the bottom wall 84b of the oil separation chamber 84 and introduced to the oil reservoir chamber 88 via the introducing hole 84a of the bottom wall 84b. Since the lubricant oil in the oil separation chamber 84 flows along the bottom wall 84b, it takes time for the lubricant oil to be introduced to the oil reservoir chamber 88. While flowing along the bottom wall 84b, the lubricant oil might be carried away to the outside of the compressor 80 together with refrigerant.